After FTX bankruptcy: Shaquille O’Neal and other celebrities are charged

taketonews

• A Florida judge wanted to drop two professional athletes, O’Neal and Osaka, from the lawsuit
• After months of trying, the FTX lawsuit was served on O’Neal
• Other celebrities and well-known athletes have to face the lawsuit

Judge wanted Shaquille O’Neal removed from the lawsuit

As recently as March, it was reported that a Florida state judge was considering removing former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka from a case related to failed crypto exchange FTX. As Cointelegraph reports, US District Judge Kevin Moore asked the plaintiffs to provide sufficient reasons why O’Neal and Osaka should not be removed from the lawsuit. According to him, it was still unclear whether the two professional athletes had been officially served with such allegations. The judge had given FTX clients until December to fully file their lawsuit. Meanwhile, in an order, Moore reprimanded other prominent defendants for requesting an adjournment of a previously scheduled hearing without having the authority to do so. Accordingly, defenders of US celebrities, who had also acted as advertisers for the FTX, asked for the hearing to be postponed. Moore further explained that initially, however, only the plaintiffs could have made such a request.

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FTX Complaint was served on O’Neal

However, FoxNews reports that O’Neal was recently served the FTX lawsuit after he allegedly dodged months of attempts by attorneys to reach him. Law firm Moskowitz tweeted: “Complaint in multi-billion dollar FTX class action just served on @SHAQ outside his home. Video cameras at his home recorded our delivery and we made it clear to him that he would not destroy any of those surveillance tapes or may delete as they must be retained for our lawsuit”.

A few days earlier, the firm tried to reach out to the basketball star via social media: “@SHAQ We represent thousands of FTX victims who lost their life savings in the massive FTX scam. We’ve been at your TNT all week Studios in Atlanta, but your security guards won’t let us in to present our lawsuit.” Commenting on the tweet, the attorneys said O’Neal had been “running away” from them for months and all other FTX celebrities had already agreed to take their complaints. “Please be so courteous and honorable and allow our bailiffs to bring our lawsuit on your behalf tomorrow so that you may defend your actions in this matter.”

O’Neal, who advertised the company in June last year, previously distanced himself from the FTX bankruptcy in December 2022, saying he was just a “paid spokesperson”: “A lot of people think I’m involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial,” O’Neal said, according to CNBC. He himself does not believe in cryptocurrencies.

Other celebrities and athletes are also involved in the class action lawsuit

However, in addition to O’Neal, other celebrities, including well-known athletes, have also been charged in the FTX case. FTX retail investor Edwin Garrison filed a lawsuit against O’Neal, Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen and other high-profile celebrities, alleging that his crypto account went bankrupt after the celebrities endorsed the crypto company. Moskowitz called FTX a “massive Ponzi scheme” run by “geniuses of public relations and marketing” who enlisted the help of popular sports and entertainment figures to promote it.

Editorial office finanzen.net

Image Credits: Mike Pont/Getty Images, T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com



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